Regrets
by Amaya Kira
Summary: Cloud has never hated Sephiroth. How could he? They had loved each other for so long. Cloud/Sephiroth Warning: Character death


_I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I just enjoy writing about the characters. _

_This is un-beta'd, so feel free to point out any typos or grammatical errors. _

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><p>Sparks flew as the two blades clashed, one impossibly thin and the other more a butcher's knife than sword. The speed and strength of the hits belied the unnatural abilities of the combatants. Mako-enhanced eyes, glowing fiercely from emotions would meet above the weapons, gazes never faltering.<p>

The battle raged on, neither willing to give up. To an outsider, it would seem to be a fight of good and evil, nothing more. The truth was much more complicated. How many years had it been since they were together in Shin-Ra? Their future had seemed so bright. One madman had torn apart their dreams, causing unfathomable anguish for the Planet.

The Silver General of Shin-Ra had been driven insane by the knowledge of his creation. His father's crazed experiments had been revealed. Only a cadet at the time, Cloud Strife had nearly been destroyed by his lover after these revelations. Now the influence of Jenova made it impossible for the pair to return to how it had been. This led to the ferocious battle for the fate of the Planet.

They were evenly matched, their moves more suited for a dance than this struggle. Cloud was forced to watch as the man he loved attacked him; Sephiroth's eyes empty of recognition. He kept reminding himself that this was not his Sephiroth, the one who had held him after his failed SOLDIER exam and smiled just for him. He had to be stopped before he erased their existence. At least this was what everyone kept reminding him.

Cloud was the only one who could face him, making him their default hero, no matter how much he insisted he was not. His original plan at the beginning of this battle had been to slay his former lover then commit suicide. Now, facing Sephiroth, Cloud knew he didn't have the strength to destroy the silver-haired man. Even if he would be dead, the thought of Sephiroth not existing was too much.

He was sorry that he wouldn't be able to save his comrades, but that was the way of it. He would continue to fight, but he would offer no deathblow. Eventually one of them would tire, and this would come to an end. Cloud knew that no matter who was victorious, he would not see the next day.

Hours passed. More and more areas of Midgar were demolished. The rest of AVALANCHE had driven off most of the monsters that had swarmed the area. They knew that to interfere in this battle would be pointless. It had to end this way.

A blow from Masamune changed the tempo suddenly. First Tsurugi didn't come around fast enough to block, allowing a large scrape to adorn his newly geostigma-free arm. A hiss escaped his lips as he struggled to regain his rhythm. It was a futile effort. Sephiroth had taken full advantage of the lapse.

Cloud knew he had only moments to live, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He barely registered that the Planet was doomed. He only regretted that he had allowed Sephiroth to go on the Nibelheim mission without a protest. He had had a bad feeling about it but had instead played the stoic boyfriend, kissing him goodbye and sending him off with a last "I love you". It had been their final kiss.

The sensation of cold steel driven through his chest was familiar, but the location was slightly different. He felt Masamune's tip embed itself in his heart. Cloud dropped First Tsurugi as his vision flickered, the mako in his system struggling but not succeeding in healing the fatal wound. He locked gazes with his lover one last time, whose eyes gained clarity for the first time. They held recognition, love, horror, and self-loathing as the Silver General realized what he had wrought.

Cloud's moth moved as he tried to speak. Finally a small escaped on a tortured breath. Only his enhanced hearing allowed Sephiroth to hear the blonde's final words. "Love . . . you . . . Seph." The awareness and warmth faded from those bright blue eyes as Sephiroth kissed him gently before laying him carefully on the ground.

"I will join you soon, my love."

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><p><em>This was a rather angsty story, but I had to write this out or Our Love might have had a rather different ending. I will hopefully be posting another chapter of that this week, as well as a happier FFVII story. Please review! ~Amaya<em>


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